One thing that separates us from all the other stewardship firms is we understand our focus must be building giving 52 weeks of the year. Too often churches only think of giving when they need to raise funds for some project or to pay off an existing project. They then erroneously think that those who barely give anything will step up and help carry the weight of any capital campaign. Frankly few stewardship companies tell churches the truth about how capital funds come in. Capital campaign dollars come from your existing faithful donors NOT those that struggle to give you a few dollars a week.

50% of what is pledged in any capital campaign comes from 10% or less of your existing donors! So if you are going to do more than one times your operating budget it will come from that crowd. A few weeks ago I followed a company that touts that their pledge to budget average is 3 times a churches annual budget. It is a lie but coming from a so called expert who is to deny it? No one in the stewardship industry knows more about giving trends than we do so I began by showing them empirical data. I then stated to those around the table that if they wanted to hit at 2 to 3 times their operating budget every one of them would have to pledge 3 to 4 times their annual giving since many in the church would not participate at that level. Suddenly reality set in.

We are as concerned about this week’s offering at your church as we are seeing your capital campaign be a success. All our Charis Group clients also get access to http://giving365.com/ that helps churches build out regular giving. All our Charis clients get twice a year reviews of their campaign giving as well as their regular giving. We keep our eye on your total finances not simply the campaign.

So if you want to know how your capital campaign might do take a snap shot picture of your congregation now. Those that are giving are the ones that will be your target. They are the ones that will be most responsive to an appeal to give your church more money over and above what they are already giving. Your base NOW determines your results LATER.

Wise churches work at increasing not just the amount given but the number of those giving. If you are thinking about a future capital campaign you need to be thinking about working NOW to build your existing donor base. While the actual campaign might be months away or even a year away, increasing givers now will help you have a broader base to draw upon in your campaign.

It is not too early to start working upon your future capital campaign. One way to assure a successful campaign is by enlarging your donor base. Get started today so that you will have a better chance for success later.